Gemma receives a mysterious invitation to the birthday party of an enigmatic millionaire, Jeremy. She must pass herself off as Jeremy's old friend and mingle with his glittering guests. Who is Jeremy and why has he tasked her with such a peculiar job?

Interview with Director/Producer Linda Ludwig & James Curle

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

To be honest, we couldn’t resist the story when Tom (writer) put it on the table. We were immediately fascinated by the central character – What could drive anyone to such great lengths in creating a living fantasy? And as we discussed the idea and developed the script further, we realised that we could make it an incredible opportunity, not just for the three of us, but for all involved in the production.

The majority of the cast and crew are all young professionals at the beginning of their careers and we wanted “Man of the Hour” to become a great showcase for all the amazing talent and skill involved. Rarely does a short film have such a big cast, with dozens of extras and luxurious mansion locations but would have to be created on a tiny budget. So it was a whole new challenge for us as directors. We’d never made something so grand and spectacular before.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Who doesn’t love a mystery slowly unfolding over the backdrop of a lavish black tie party? Few short films offer such a spectacle: a great musical score underlying magnificently lit locations, numerous extras and phenomenal performances from a cast of over twenty speaking roles. It’s a micro epic. But more than that it’s a moving story about a tragic young man who has everything and nothing, seeking connections with other people. We think we can all relate to that in some way. How open do we dare to be with others?

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Being a couple as well as a directing duo, we guess we’re fascinated with the relationships between people. We believe that we can’t evolve and grow as individuals if we don’t let others in, so when we first read the script we were immediately drawn to the character of Jeremy. He’s surrounded by so many friends and yet he is so lonely. Ironically it takes a complete stranger to see past his façade. It’s a timeless issue, but we felt it would strike a note in today’s impersonal culture and social media focused world.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The first draft of the script was five pages long, Jeremy was a peripheral character and he was about fifty years old. As the script developed, we found new nuances in Jeremy, making him thirty years old and adding increasingly more quirk to the colourful character of Gemma who would become a tornado in Jeremy’s well-planned evening.

The breakthrough for the film really came in the casting of Charlotte Ritchie and Ed White in our leading roles – they did an amazing job to give depth to our two complex main characters. We’re also incredibly grateful to Oliver Chris for adding his comic flare, and to Richard Durden, who gave real gravitas to the role of Jeremy’s father.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The film has received an overwhelmingly positive response so far. We weren’t quite prepared for that, so that’s extremely exciting for us. Many of the audience would ask what happens next.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We always anticipated that the story would spark some form of discussion, but we were surprised and excited at the degree the audience took to discussing it afterwards. As directors, it’s really one of the most rewarding things… to see an audience take so much away from a film you’ve made. It’s been a huge gift.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

At the moment we have just begun our journey on the festival circuit with “Man of the Hour” at Cannes, so it was lovely to be contacted by wearemovingstories and get the opportunity to talk about why we feel this film matters. Being more visible means being able to share Jeremy’s story with more people – and hopefully inspire them to watch out for wonderful moments of chance and connection in their lives, and to consider help from unlikely places. And if people like it – we get to make our next film!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Anyone really. We are always keen for people to get in touch if they resonate with this film and/or the team. We’d love to take “Man of the Hour” to as many festivals as we can and for as many journalists as possible to write about it. Like we said at the beginning, this film is the result of the communal passion and resilience of a huge team of talented people. And we hope to showcase their hard work as much as possible.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

We’d love to see the audience laugh and feel something, and that the film keeps popping up in their thoughts every now and then. It would be great to find out that it’s helped some people in some way.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Ah, let’s give this a try without spoiling the story:

“Why do you think he did it?”

If you’ve seen it you’ll know what we mean.

Would you like to add anything else?

A huge thank you to our dear friend and colleague Tom Palmer, for showing us the script in the first place and then for forming this amazingly fun storytelling unit with us; to all the cast and crew who gave so much more than we could have dared to expect and to all loyal supporters of this film. We are forever grateful.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We are currently developing our first feature film with Tom, which is exploring very similar themes to “Man of the Hour” but this time between British and German soldiers during World War II. As we are a British/German directing duo, we felt this was a logical continuation. As for the writing, Tom is outdoing himself again. We’re now bringing the team together and starting discussions with producers, investors, distributors etc. We’re super-excited and can’t wait to start production on this.

Interview: May 2018

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Man of the Hour

Length: 18mins

Director: Linda Ludwig & James Curle

Producer: Tom Palmer, Linda Ludwig, James Curle

Writer: Tom Palmer

About the writer, director and producer:

Linda Ludwig & James Curle

Directors / Producers

Having graduated from film school in 2013 and 2014, respectively, they have worked together as a directing duo in film and commercial ever since.

Tom Palmer

Writer / Producer

Tom's writing credits include 'Common Ground' (Sky), 'Live At The Electric' (BBC3) and 'Totally Tom: Comedy Lab' (E4).

Key cast: Charlotte Ritchie, Ed White, Oliver Chris, Richard Durden

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Anyone who is interested in working together.

Social media handles:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/manofthehourfilm

Twitter: @inquisitivepics or #manofthehour

Other: www.inquisitivepictures.co.uk/manofthehourfilm

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, where it will be competing with 7 other films for Best Short Film on Tuesday 15th

Also viewable in the Short Film Corner Catalogue during the festival.